LEADING from start to finish, Waterford’s, Craig Breen (Ford Fiesta S2000) and his Welsh co-driver, Gareth Roberts, took a convincing victory in the Suirway Farm Machinery Raven’s Rock Rally, the fifth round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

At the end of the Kilkenny based event, Breen/Roberts were a minute and 45 seconds ahead of Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Subaru), who took the maximum twenty points in the Dunlop series. Third place went to Monaghan’s, Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Mitsubishi) were 17 seconds further behind, they move into second in the Dunlop series – 26 points behind series leader, Tim McNulty, who was amongst the non-starters. Despite several problems, Washington James/Lllinos Jones Davies won the Modified category. Stephen Carey/Breda O’Driscoll (Honda Civic) won the Group N award.

On the opening stage, Kells, Breen set the pace and opened up a 19 second advantage over both Colm Murphy (Subaru) and Seb Ling (Mitsubishi). Murphy lost time when he clipped a stone and the wheel deflated, luckily, he was near the stage finish. Meanwhile, Ed O’Callaghan (Ford Escort) was a further three seconds in arrears in fourth place. Late entry, Sam Moffett (Mitsubishi), Frank Kelly (Escort) and Shane Maguire (Subaru) were next in classification.

Breen was also quickest through the remaining two stages of the loop to lead the Mitsubishi of Seb Ling by 47 seconds at the Chancellor’s Mills service halt. Breen remarked, “The stages are very fast, stage three in particular, I was probably a little too conservative with my tyre choice, the compound I selected was too soft.”

Ed O’Callaghan crashed his Escort near the finish of the third stage, earlier, on S.S. 2, Paul Mulcahy (Toyota Starlet), who was ninth overall after the first stage, also crashed out.

Ling had a good run through the second stage while Murphy clipped a bank. Eoin Doyle (Subaru), who was fourth overall, had an overshoot on the second stage while he was concerned by a transmission glitch on the third test. Moffett was fifth. Washington James (Darrian) traversed most of the loop with a warped brake disc. John McQuaid (Escort) held seventh. Roy White, on his first rally in some three years, occupied eighth in his MG S2000, he opined that his pace increased as the rally progressed, he did experience some brake fade on the third stage. Paddy O’Dwyer (Vauxhall Nova) and Lloyd Hutchinson (Mini), who completed the top ten, were both untroubled. However, Shane Maguire (Subaru) lost some six minutes on S.S. 3 with transmission woes and he retired at the service halt.

On the repeat loop, Breen continued to dominate and with three more fastest times, he arrived at the final service halt with a lead of a minute and 28 seconds over second placed, Colm Murphy (Subaru). The rally leader, who spun on S.S. 4, admitted that he had slackened his pace. Murphy was 15 seconds ahead of third placed Moffett, both enjoyed untroubled runs through the second loop. Doyle was similarly trouble free – albeit some four second behind Moffett.

Seb Ling’s rally ended when he crashed on S.S. 4 and David Condell put his Escort off the road on S.S. 5. Meanwhile, Frank Kelly (Escort) occupied fifth from Roy White, who reckoned his MG S2000 was down on power, particularly on S.S. 6 as it continued to misfire.

Washington James (Darrian) had to contend with an oil leak through the entire loop. The top ten also featured the Escort trio of John McQuaid, Sam Smyth and Hereford’s, Jay Stanley. Smyth reckoned that his Escort was handling a little errantly while he also endured a few minor overshoots. Shay Power retired his Escort on S.S. 4 when the throttle cable snapped, ironically, a short distance from his home.

Elsewhere, Neil Williams (Escort) lost time when one of the spark plugs failed near the finish of S.S. 6 while Joe Connolly, also in an Escort, experienced a soft brake pedal on the same stage.

Breen went on to take victory and complete a notable family double as winner of the event. His father, Ray, a former Dunlop National Rally champion, won the rally in 2005 and 2008. As Breen did not register, Murphy took maximum points in the Dunlop series while third placed Moffett took second placed points to move into second in the Dunlop series – 26 points behind the series leader, Tim McNulty.

James was the highest placed in the Modified category while fifth placed Eoin Doyle (Subaru) overshot and stalled on the final stage. Sixth placed Frank Kelly (Escort) reckoned he couldn’t have driven any harder. Roy White in seventh, finished with a damaged air filter.

The Dunlop “Drive of the Day” award was annexed by Monaghan’s, John McQuaid (Ford Escort), who was co-driven by Kerry’s, Seamus O’Connor. The final places in the top ten were claimed by Sam Smyth (Escort) and Lloyd Hutchinson).

The Dunlop National Rally Championship reaches mid-point on Sunday next with the Suirway Farm Machinery Raven’s Rock Rally that is based in Kilkenny city.
Event organisers, the Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club, have attracted a fine entry for this the 40th. running of their premier event that will be led away by club member and former Billy Coleman Award winner, Craig Breen. The young Waterford driver will use his Ford Fiesta S2000, a car he drove on last year’s Mayo Rally. For most of this season, Breen has driven a Fiesta R2, a car similar to what he uses on the WRC Academy series. He remarked, “Up until now, all my non-WRC Academy events this year have all been test sessions for the Academy itself. However, the Raven’s Rock fits into my schedule this year and using the S2000 gives me the best opportunity to take top honours next Sunday. Last season I debuted the S2000 on Irish soil and also gave the car its maiden win on the International Rally Northern Ireland, it would be nice to add a maiden win on a National Championship round.”

Due to a variety of reasons, a number of the top ten seeded drivers have withdrawn their entries - series leader, Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC), Dunlop regulars, Niall Maguire and Kevin Barrett, also in a Subaru WRC’s and Wesley Patterson (Ford Escort) will not be on the start line in Kilkenny.
In addition, there’s a doubt about Armagh’s, Darren Gass (Subaru WRC), who is seeded at number five, he won the Circuit of Kerry a few months ago.

Having missed the previous round in Cavan, Limerick’s, Colm Murphy in his Group N Subaru, returns to action and will have designs on repeating his podium finish on the opening round of the Dunlop series in Abbeyleix. Cork driver, Liam McCarthy (Toyota Corolla WRC) is enjoying a consistent run in this Dunlop campaign, he occupies third overall – four points behind Barrable. The top Modified entry is that of Limerick’s, Ed O’Callaghan (Ford Escort). Local driver, Eoin Doyle (Subaru WRC) rounds off the top ten seeded drivers and will seek to make an impression on his home event.

The Group N entry also features Welsh ace, Sebastien Ling in a Mitsubishi Evo IX and Monaghan’s, Shane Maguire (Subaru)

Cork driver, Daniel Cronin, the younger brother of double British Rally Champion, Keith, occupies the number 69 berth in his Peugeot 206.
Monaghan’s, David Moffett (Toyota Starlet) is the top seed in the Junior category where Kevin O’Connor (Citroen C2R2), John Doogan (Ford Escort) and Christopher Snow (Honda Civic) are amongst the line-up.
The Historic category features the Ford Anglia of Seamus Anderson, John Hackett (Austin Mini) and Edward Flahavan (Lancia Fulvia).

The ceremonial start takes place at High Street, Kilkenny on Saturday evening at 7.00pm.

McNulty's Donegal Domination!

Posted: June 24, 2011 1:47 PM

Kevin Barrett maintained his Irish Tarmac Championship (ITC) lead after last weekend's Topaz Donegal International Rally, but victory for Tim McNulty has thrown his bid for a maiden ITC title back on track!

After missing round two and retiring from round three of Ireland's most prestigious rally series, McNulty was left languishing in fourth position in the Championship standings. However, victory in Donegal has propelled him into second position in the series tables, just two points behind leader Kevin Barrett.

Navigated by Paul Kiely, McNulty dominated much of the rally. He briefly lost the lead to Alastair Fisher and Rory Kennedy after stage three, but regained the advantage on the following test.

Back in control, the County Meath pilot set about extending his advantage at the head of the field. Renowned for having copious amounts of bad luck, McNulty stayed on the good side of luck on this occasion, as he powered his Subaru Impreza WRC to an emphatic maiden Donegal victory!

Alastair Fisher and Rory Kennedy claimed second overall in their Monte Carlo Rally winning Ford Fiesta S2000. They held a consistent second throughout the event, and briefly held the lead after stage three.

It has been 12 years since the Fisher name was last seen battling for outright honours in Donegal, as Alastair's late uncle Bertie made what was to be his final foray in the North West in 1999. Alastair was just 10-years-old at the time!

Now 22, Alastair brought those memories flooding back when he and Rory Kennedy, who also navigated for Bertie, topped the timesheets after stage three. They set a number of fastest stages times in the M-Sport supported car, and were ecstatic with finishing second overall.

Rally of the Lakes winner Daragh O'Riordan had to settle for third on this occasion. He enjoyed an early battle with both Seamus Leonard and Derek McGarrity, but Leonard retired after the fifth test.

O'Riordan moved in front of McGarrity after stage seven and stayed there until the finish. The result places him third overall in the Championship standings, six points behind leader Barrett.

Behind runaway Group N winner Alastair Fisher, a titanic battle raged for the runner-up Group N position. The tussle went right down to the wire with Garry Jennings and David Moynihan securing second and maximum Group N points by less than two seconds from Phillip Morrow and Johnny Hart. Fourth for Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy allows them to continue to hold the Production category lead in the Championship, as well as fourth overall.

In the Modified category, Geoffrey Dolan continues to lead in his Talbot Sunbeam. Mervyn Johnston has extended his lead in the Historic category, while Aidan O'Connor has moved to the head of the Classic category standings.

The Irish Tarmac Championship now takes a two month break before returning to action on 19/20 August for the ToddsLeap.com Ulster Rally.

Underdogs get National Rally chance in Kilkenny

Posted: June 24, 2011 1:43 PM

There is a huge opportunity for gaining significant points in the Dunlop National Rally Championship this weekend in Kilkenny for those looking to climb up the leader board. With many of the top seeds, including the winner of last weekend’s Topaz Donegal International Rally, Tim McNulty, absent from the starting line, there is a great chance for some of the other drivers to gain ground at the Raven’s Rock Rally.

McNulty is joined by Niall Maguire and Kevin Barrett on the absentee lit, giving the likes of Cork’s Liam McCarthy the opportunity to make ground on McNulty in the race for the Championship. McNulty currently leads the National Rally Leader board but McCarthy is in third place and just 32 points off the top so he will be hoping for a win and 20 points to cut the gap.

The Carrick-On-Suir Motor Club lead event is the fifth round of the National Rally Championship and will see a return of local World Rally Championship hero Craig Breen to Raven’s Rock. The 20-year-old is competing in the WRC Academy this year but will be the top seed on Sunday as he takes his Ford Fiesta S2000 to the roads of Kilkenny hoping to challenge himself ahead of the next Academy round in Finland at the end of July.

The Raven’s Rock Rally will take place over 9 stages on Sunday with three stages each in Kells, Tullaroan and Threecastles over the course of the day.

Craig Breen Rallying: Ravens Rock Rally Event Preview

Posted: June 20, 2011 5:26 PM

Craig Breen has his third foray on Tarmac this year, next weekend as the Irish takes on his home event, the Ravens Rock Rally.

After using both the Jim Clark International Rally (BRC) and the Rallye du Linousin as tarmac test sessions in his R2 Ford Fiesta, Craig has decided to knock the cobwebs of his Ford Fiesta S2000 for this event. The last outing that Craig used the car on Irish Tarmac brought him success when at the Cork 20 International last October he clenched third overall on the event and second overall in the Irish Tarmac Championship. Craig is looking forward to the rally as it's his first time to compete in the "Rock". "I'm counting down the days", said Craig as he prepares for the event, "All my non WRC Academy events this year to date have all been test sessions for the Academy itself but as the Ravens Rock fits into my schedule this year I want to take it on and using the S2000 gives me the best opportunity to take top honors next Sunday. Last season I debuted the S2000 on Irish soil and also gave the car it’s madden win on the International Rally Northern Ireland, it would be nice to now also add a madden win on a National Championship round.

The rally takes place next Sunday and is based in Kilkenny City, with the nine event stages located to the South and East of the City. There's a ceremonial start on Saturday evening, starting at 7pm in High Street (Kilkenny City), where Craig with the S2000 will be just one of the main attractions.

Marshal Meeting Points

Photo: F.A.S.T. Car

Posted: June 9, 2011 11:52 AM

Next Monday June 13th is the closing date for early entry incentive draw

Posted: June 7, 2011 4:20 PM

Next Monday the 13th is closing date for the early entry incentive draw for the Ravens Rock Rally. Some good prizes on offer and if your not in you can't win. Crews need to have their full entry fee paid to be in the draw.

Tom Geraghty Tyres added to Sponsors for 2011 Ravens Rock Rally

Posted: June 5, 2011 11:42 PM

The Carrick on Suir Motor Club are delighted to announce that Tom Geraghty Tyres have now come onboard as the third main sponsor of the 2011 Ravens Rock Rally. Tom and his sons are Carrick MC Members and were heavily involved with the club's Halloween Historic Stages Rally. Tom himself has been involved with rallying for over 35 years and as the Carrick Motor Club celebrates the 40th running of the Ravens Rock, Tom’s name can be seen as one of the earliest competitors in the history of the event. Tom also has one of the longest sponsorship deals to date in Irish Rallying. Toms name is now synonymous with the name Kenny McKinstry and all his cars. Their paths cross year's ago when the Circuit of Ireland made one of its trips down South to Waterford. During one such event Kenny's Mk11 Escort hit trouble and Tom was there to help. A short time after the event Kenny contacted Tom, firstly to thank him for his help and secondly to enquire would he be interested in some sponsorship and the rest shall we say is history.

A specially designed advertisement sticker containing the Tom Geraghty Tyres name will be carried on each car competing in this year’s event.

On securing the sponsorship COC of the event John Rafter said, “It’s another step forward for the event. We held a very successful rally twelve months ago and its vindication when we can attract a new sponsor onboard.”

F.A.S.T. Car to STAR on Ravens Rock Rally

Posted: June 5, 2011 11:38 PM

Earlier this year Jerry Murphy contacted the Irish Heart Foundation with a new idea to spread the F.A.S.T. message. He wanted to promote F.A.S.T. on the Southern 4 Rally Championship. His friend Barry O'Brien is the owner and driver of an Opel Corsa Rallycar and both have come together to highlight the F.A.S.T. campaign.

F.A.S.T. Stands for:
F – Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
S – Speech – is their speech slurred?
T –Time - Call 999 if you spot any single one of these signs.

The first rally on the schedule is the 2011 Ravens Rock Rally.

This is Jerry’s Story: ”I was working at my job in the post office in Macroom, Co Cork, back in April, 2007, when I had my first “bang” as I called them. I was dealing with customers at the counter when out of the blue; I started having difficulty picking up coins with my right hand. It was a very busy morning and I had a queue of customers out the door, so I kept going as best I could.

When I tried to write up the deposit books, I couldn’t grasp the pen properly. Then another clerk asked me a question and I opened my mouth but nothing came out, so I left the counter and went into the staff room. I tried to tell the cleaner something was wrong, but I couldn’t get any words out. She calmed me down and walked me down the street to the doctor.

The GP called an ambulance and I was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) at about 1pm. By the time I was seen by a SHO at 4.45pm, I was back to normal, so I was discharged. I had also had a CAT scan, which came back clear.

At 29 years of age, the last thing you think about is stroke and there was no history of it in my family, but I knew that first day that I was having a stroke. Two weeks later, I was sorting letters at work when I had another attack. My right arm felt heavy and I couldn’t pick up the letters. I felt the power draining from the right side of my body.

The doctor was sent for and I was admitted to CUH, but the symptoms had subsided within two hours and nothing showed up on an MRI or CAT scan. I was put under the care of neurologist Dr Brian Sweeney. Between then and the end of 2007, I was taken to AE eight times by ambulance as a medical emergency. I spent a week in CUH in December after a stronger episode.

After my second episode, I knew what was happening as I had looked up my symptoms on the internet. I was having transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) or mini-strokes, but I had no diagnosis as nothing was showing up on the scans and, thankfully, there was no residual damage caused to my heart.

I stopped going out in crowds or to matches in case I had an episode. I stayed close to people who knew about my condition. I worried about what would happen if I was on my own and my speech went because I wouldn’t have been able to call an ambulance.

Every time it happened, it was like a stopwatch started ticking in my head. I knew how important it was that I get to hospital as quickly as possible and I knew that if I wasn’t back to normal within 24 hours, I could be in trouble. My episodes were taking longer to pass.

In January 2008, while visiting a family member at Millstreet Hospital, I got my strongest episode yet. I was rushed to CUH where I spent two weeks and was referred to a cardiologist. TIAs were now mentioned for the first time and I was diagnosed with a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in my heart. Babies are born with a normal opening that allows blood to flow between the left and right chambers of the heart. This opening should close naturally soon after birth and when this does not happen, the hole that’s left is called a PFO.

I was put on anti-clotting medication which controlled my condition. Closing the hole through surgery was not an option at this stage, according to my cardiologist, as the medication had things under control.

I had no further attacks until the end of August 2010 when I was on a postal delivery. I spent two weeks in hospital and my right leg was worst affected. I had physio afterwards to get back on my feet and was out of work for a while.

I went back to work in October and thought that first week would never end. I was so tired; I had no energy at all. I was in Macroom shopping when I felt another episode coming on and ended up back in hospital for a week. It was obvious the medication was no longer working at this stage.

I knew there was only one man in the country, Dr Kevin Walsh, a paediatric cardiologist in Dublin who could close the hole. I arranged to have the surgery privately at the Beacon Hospital through the VHI on December 17th last. Dr Walsh implanted a wire mesh device called a PFO occluder into my heart using a catheter. The procedure was a success and I was out of hospital after two nights.

I was put on anti-clotting medication for three months and have had no episodes since the surgery. I am back to work and doing fine at the moment, apart from a slight weakness in my right leg when I’m tired or in cold weather. Before I had the hole closed, I used to be completely breathless after I went for a walk or a cycle. Now, there’s no stopping me.

While I was in hospital, I did some research from my bed and came across the Irish Heart Foundation website, stroke.ie, which I found very helpful. I was very impressed with its FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) campaign, which raises awareness of the signs of stroke and the need to act fast. Stroke can happen to people of all ages, which is why it’s so important for everybody to be aware of the signs and symptoms.

In May 2010, the IHF launched a 4-year TV and radio advertising F.A.S.T. campaign.

This campaign is being mounted to tackle the frightening lack of public awareness about stroke symptoms in Ireland. In 2009, IHF research showed that less than 50% of Irish adults would ring 999 if they thought they were having a stroke.

The hard hitting images in the TV ad show how quickly a stroke can affect a person. The average stroke destroys roughly two million brain cells every minute. So, the quicker a person gets into hospital after a stroke, the more of their brain can be saved.

Stroke Action is grateful to the UK Department of Health for giving us permission to use their FAST advertising materials. These ads have been very successful at raising awareness in the UK, resulting in a 55% increase in stroke-related emergency calls.

Stroke Action’s F.A.S.T. campaign, wants to help the public achieve a better understanding of the warning signs of stroke so as to aid in the prevention of stroke.

Stroke is a very serious medical emergency but it can be avoided. If you suspect that someone has had a stroke, you need to call 999 immediately.

When stroke strikes, act F.A.S.T.

The F.A.S.T. acronym was created as a helper for people to remember the main warning signs of stroke so that they can act immediately in the case of a stroke by dialling 999.

F.A.S.T. stands for:
F – Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
S – Speech – is their speech slurred?
T –Time to call 999 if you spot any single one of these signs.

F.A.S.T. Can help you to rapidly recognise when a stroke is taking place and then act quickly to get medical treatment and help prevent serious damage.”

The Irish Heart Foundation's F.A.S.T. campaign

2011 Ravens Rock Rally Bonus for Honda Crews

Posted: May 27, 2011 2:58 PM

Like our Early Incentive Package the Carrick on Suir Motor Club are running the Honda Award again this year.

The top 3 finishing Honda cars in each of the relevant classes will qualify for a draw to Win 3 Prizes,

2011 Ravens Rock Rally Early Entry Incentive Package

Posted: May 27, 2011 2:55 PM

Twelve months ago the Carrick MC offered an Early Entry Incentive Package and it proved to be a great success and the club are delighted to announce that they are offering a similar package this year for entries that are in and fully paid for by the closing date, Monday the 13th of June

Incentive Package Includes

1st Prize: Full Entry Refund

2nd Prize: Accommodation for two people for Saturday Night 25th June

3rd Prize: €100 voucher for tyres sponsored by Bill Adare

4th Prize: 25 Litres of Fuel, Sponsored by Drennan Oil

5th Prize: Twelve Months Subscription of Pacenotes Rally Magazine for both the winning Driver and Navigator

40th Running of the Ravens Rock Rally Launched at Motorsport Expo

Posted: May 26, 2011 11:01 AM

The 2011 Ravens Rock Rally was officially launched on Sunday last at the Irish Motorsport Expo. Top Irish Motorsport Journalist and Dunlop National Rally Championship Press Coordinator Martin Walsh was on hand to quiz COC John Rafter on the details of the 2011 event.

After expressing his delight on the success of the 2010 event for which he took charge of for the first time John (Rafter) went on to give a rundown on this year’s rally.

"2010 was the start of a three plan and our challenge last year was two fold. Firstly to organise and promote an event worthy of the Carrick on Suir Motor Club and secondly to fill the entry. With the support of the club and a dedicated team, I'm very proud of what we achieved. We didn't a have National Championship status and long gone is the day when you only need to mention the word rally and you would have 200 crews banging down your door. We took it step by step in the organisation and left not stone unturned when it came to filling the entry."

"With this same vigor I'm now delighted to announce the details of the 2011 Ravens Rock Rally. This year sees the 40th running of the Ravens Rock and from early beginnings in the early 70s when it was held as a night navigation event to its current form as a one day event in the National Rally Championship, the rally has gone through many changes. To mark the 40th Year we are offering a special prize. The 40th finisher on the official results will receive €400 of their entry fee refunded to celebrate the 40th running of the event.”

“We again welcome back our main Sponsors Suirway (James Coleman) but this year its Suirway Farm Machinery as James has launched his new business and the Carrick on Suir Motor Club are delighted to be associated with James' new brand. I also welcome back the Pius Phlean and Kilford Arms Hotel as our second joint sponsor. We had the honor last year of basing the club's premier event in the Kilford and Pius with his team couldn't have been more helpful pre, during and post the event. I'm delighted to announce that the 2011 Ravens Rock Rally will again be located in the Kilford Arms Hotel."

"On the day of the rally the attention moves from the event HQ to the stages firstly but also to the service area, which becomes the central core when the rally is running. Last year we were lucky enough to acquire the use of the Chancellors Mills premises and again this year John Dalton has come onboard to give the use of his facility. The Chancellors Mills site will again act as the centralised scrutiny, parc ferme and service Area and I thank John very much."

"A sign that an event has gone well is when you can attract a new sponsor and I'm now delighted to announce that the Kilkenny People Newspaper are coming onboard this year as an associate sponsor. When first approached, Sport Editor John Knox was eager to become involved and he and the paper have been instrumental in the advertising and publicising of the Irish Motorsport Expo and will carry this same enthusiasm in the lead up to the Ravens Rock."

Three Major Championships for 2011

“Last year the rally formed a counting round in three major championships. Neil McCance was a worthy overall winner and was competing in the Mitsubishi Challange, sadly this championship is not running in 2011 but we were grateful for its support last season, 2010 also saw the rock form part of the Southern Four Championship and we welcome back the crews taking part again this year in this prestigious regional championship. Another regional championship that comes back again this year is the Triton Showers South East Stages Rally Championship. The South East Stage holds a special place in the Carrick Club as the championship is organised and promoted by the five Motor Clubs in the South East. The championship is also ran by our own club secretary Ann Fitzgerald, with the championships PRO Joe O'Brien on hand to send out previews and event reports in his own inimitable fashion. If I may say I'm keeping a close eye on the South East Stages this year because as of the last round my great friend Shay Power is in top spot in the leader board, he must have a good co driver.”

“In 2010 the Rock had its turn out of the Dunlop Series but we are delighted this year to welcome back the National Rally Championship to Kilkenny. There has been some spectacular rallying over the opening four rounds to date this season and I'm sure round five in the Black and Amber County will be no different.”